“He has been charged with tax evasion and laundering that money. The court is about to rule [on whether he should be held],” Nice's Public Prosecutor Jean-Michel Pretre told Sputnik. Being formally investigated under France’s legal system does not always lead to a court trial.

Kerimov, who is among the richest people in Russia, was snatched by French law enforcement after arriving in Nice on Monday night. The arrest, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, violated the protection from “coercive actions” he enjoys as a Russian senator from the Republic of Dagestan.

The politician is estimated by Forbes to be worth $7.4 billion. The French authorities reportedly suspect him of purchasing real estate in the French Riviera through shell companies to avoid paying taxes. The 51-year-old denies any wrongdoing.

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